A preliminary phylogeny of the lichen moth tribe Lithosiini (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) based on morphological characters

A phylogeny of the lichen moth tribe Lithosiini has been constructed based on adult morphological characters. Specimens of 76 species representing 49 genera and each of the seven subtribes that have been proposed, as well as genera that have yet to be placed within a subtribe, were examined. When possible the type species of each genus was included in the analysis. Eighty-two characters from the external morphology and male and female genitalia were coded. The dataset was analyzed using both Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic methods with outgroup taxa selected from the subfamily Aganainae and tribe Arctiini. The morphological characters show the tribe Lithosiini as a monophyletic lineage, but could not assess the monophyly of the seven subtribes that have been hypothesized. The clades that are resolved by our phylogenetic analysis were composed only of genera representing a single subtribe or those that have not previously been placed in a subtribe. These results provide support for the existence of subtribes within the Lithosiini and represent the most extensive examination of the phylogeny of this tribe to date.